MAKATI POISED TO BE RP’S FIRST ‘ENERGY EFFICIENT CITY’

PRESS RELEASE
16 JULY 2009
REF.: MAKATI ICRD , 8998954, 8998938

The City of Makati is set to take a big step towards becoming the country’s first “energy-efficient city” after it was chosen by Greenpeace as the pilot city for the promotion of energy efficient technologies.

Mayor Jejomar C. Binay said that the city government and Greenpeace, a worldwide environmental organization, will spearhead the launching of the “Energy Efficient Makati” (EE Makati) Project on Monday, July 20, 9am at Glorietta 5 in Ayala Center . They will be joined by Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI), Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), Makati Commercial Estate Association, Inc. (MACEA), United Architects of the Philippines-Green Architecture Movement (UAP-GAM), and Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC).

“We in Makati are honored that Greenpeace has chosen our city to take the lead in promoting energy efficiency nationwide. We thank them for recognizing our efforts to support initiatives aimed to address climate change, which have gained the active involvement of our stakeholders in various sectors,” Binay said.

Makati , together with the said organizations, will enter into a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to build collaboration between and among key stakeholders of Makati City , including the residents, businesses and commercial establishments, workers, civic groups, schools and local government agencies, in the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the city.

Under the said agreement, the parties will work together on achieving targets aligned with the overall objective of establishing an energy-efficient Makati, which include a 20 percent reduction in emissions in all its government offices and facilities by 2010, and a 40 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions from fuel fossils in the entire city by 2020, through renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

In the past years, Makati has been actively pursuing environmental initiatives to help mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming.

One of them is the ‘Palit-Ilaw Caravan,’ which has been implemented through the city’s Department of Environmental Services, Economic Enterprises Management Office, and General Services Department, in partnership with Department of Energy, Philips Electronics & Lighting, Inc., and the Office of Rep. Mar-len Abigail Binay.

The project was established in line with Binay’s directive to find more ways to strengthen Makati ’s campaign on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which have been identified as a major contributor to global warming and the resulting extreme climate changes.

In 2007, the city government of Makati entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Energy on the use and promotion of Energy Efficient Lighting Systems (EELs) in the city, in support of the latter’s Philippine Efficient Lighting Market Transformation Project (PELMATP).

Last March, Makati was declared by the World Wide Fund (WWF) as the Official Earth Hour Flagship City , and Mayor Binay as the Earth Hour 2009 Ambassador.

As the Flagship City , Makati endorsed the movement and promoted a citywide participation to symbolize the solidarity of Makati with the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, the WWF has also lauded the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Makati for passing City Resolution No. 2008-056 declaring a daily Earth Hour for the city.

The said resolution is encouraging the observance of all the residents, households, and owners and managers of business establishments and buildings in Makati City to turn off at least one light during the hour everyday to ease the effects of global warming on Mother Earth.